Student Spotlight - Chase Gorishek (MDP 2020)
From Peace Corps Guyana to Atlanta, GA Chase Gorishek (MDP 2020) has established a reputation for being committed, driven, and influential. Upon graduation in May, Chase will apply his Master’s in Development Practice degree as a Foreign Service Officer. We sat down with Chase to learn about how Emory’s MDP program prepared and positioned him to join the foreign service. 
Q: What made you decide to pursue a Master’s in Development Practice?
A: I fell in love with the opportunities around development during my time in Guyana, South America, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Having come from academic and professional backgrounds in business, I was able to see how some of the same skills used to promote a corporate agenda could also be used to improve outcomes in the social sector. After Peace Corps I wanted to get a stronger foundation in development as I pursued this career shift and Emory's MDP program was the perfect fit for me.
Q: How has your perspective on development changed?
A: Entering the program, I was quite cynical of the major "development alliances" that are at the forefront of the West's development agenda. I will say that the MDP program did not change my perspective on that per se (in fact, more so reinforced those views); however, MDP didchange my mind about how I can choose to respond to the issues, contradictions and exploitations that troubled my outlook on development in general. MDP showed me that, while yes development is not perfect, it is in the "gray" areas between policy, discourse and implementation that a socially conscious and motivated development practitioner has an opportunity to improve the sector.
Q: What was/is one of your frustrations with the field of development?
A: "Development" is still very much based on Western ideas and as such rooted in the idea that capitalism and market-based economies are necessary for societies to "develop." In my opinion this is a narrow and limiting view of development. I believe good development is always context specific, and as such should not be tied to expectations of open markets or increased GDPs. While these things are not bad in and of themselves, real development should provide beneficiaries with tools and resources that promote self-determination, thinking, and the freedom to choose the development path that works best for them, by them.
Q: What accomplishments during this program are you proud of?
A: Going to school full-time while working full-time.
While it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, maintaining my full-time job provided me with a wonderful opportunity. During my first year of the program, I worked with a government agency as a project manager for disaster recovery projects. Every week I was able to use new tools and vantage points gleaned from the MDP program to analyze and apply new viewpoints to the projects at my work. Through this process I identified challenges and areas where we could do better in trying to meet our intended beneficiaries' needs. In the second year of MDP, I was able to use my academic experience to provide input and recommendations that helped shape a new strategy for the disaster recovery work that my organization will use in the next round of funding.
Q: How do you engage in development outside of the classroom?
A: Through MDP I become much more interested in monitoring and evaluation, or ‘monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning’ (MEAL) as more formally referred to in the program. Through MDP I became aware of the Atlanta Area Evaluation Association (AaEA), which provided me an opportunity to engage with "real word" evaluation in development outside of the classroom through their pro bono non-profit evaluation program. For anyone that is in the Atlanta area and interested or wants to learn more about MEAL in development, I would highly recommend getting plugged in to AaEA! Whether it be at work or other extracurricular outlets, I continuously try to find links between development concepts learned in the classroom and the “real world.” I am fortunate to have the opportunity after graduation to start a new chapter in the Foreign Service, where I will continue to engage with development and apply MDP tools to practice.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Chase!
Curriculum
The Emory MDP curriculum combines natural, social, health sciences and management.
FIELD PRACTICUM
The Field Practicum is a core component of the Emory MDP curriculum.